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Tuesday March 31, 2009 1:10 PM

Point/Counterpoint

Brooks and Lowry form winning combination at the PG position

Jason Friedman
Rockets.com Staff Writer

Houston - The response was passionate, but certainly not positive. The Rockets had pulled off a deal minutes before the trade deadline that left many fans not only scratching their heads, but up in arms as well.

How could a team smack dab in the middle of a playoff race trade away its veteran point guard during the most pivotal stretch of the season? What’s more, how could the centerpiece of that deal be nothing more than a backup point guard averaging little more than 7 points and 3 assists per game - for the lowly Memphis Grizzlies, no less?

To critics, the Rafer Alston for Kyle Lowry and Brian Cook trade was a sign that the Rockets were waving the white flag on the season. By handing the keys of the offense to a pair of young point guards (Lowry and Aaron Brooks), Houston surely was saying that it had abandoned all hope for a season which had begun with such promise.

Some wondered whether the Rockets would even make the playoffs at all. Even the hardcore fans were disillusioned; Rockets.com conducted a poll the day of the deal and the overwhelming majority of respondents gave the trade a failing grade of ‘D’ or ‘F.’

And then the games began.

Brooks kicked things off by knocking down a pair of cold-blooded daggers to help Houston defeat division-rival Dallas in the Rockets’ first game following the deadline. The lightning-quick point guard did it again two weeks later against Phoenix, delivering the game-winner en route to scoring a career-high 30 points. Meanwhile, Lowry was well on his way to becoming a fan favorite by complementing Brooks with his playmaking skills, toughness, hard-nosed defense and aggressive style of play.

Now, nearly six weeks after that fateful day, the Rockets have already clinched a spot in the postseason thanks to a sparkling 15-5 record since forming the Brooks-Lowry combo. And there’s nothing misleading about that record, either. It was not built on cupcakes, but rather signature wins over the likes of Cleveland and Portland at home, and Denver, New Orleans and San Antonio on the road. Not bad for a duo initially decried as being too young, too inexperienced and not yet ready for primetime.

“They’ve both done a nice job,” says Coach Rick Adelman. “They give us something different – Aaron is the better shooter and more explosive. But Kyle will attack the rim too, and he’s played very well defensively for us.

“Usually you have experienced people (at the point guard position) but I think they’ve grown and will continue to grow – it’s going to be a learning process for them – but it bodes well for our future.”

The present doesn’t look too shabby, either. The Rockets are now 21-6 this season with Brooks as the starter, as he and Lowry have helped Houston play at the faster pace Coach Adelman typically prefers. The second-year point guard from Oregon is averaging 14 points and 4 assists per game since taking over the position full-time; numbers not at all dissimilar to the ones put up by San Antonio’s splendid Tony Parker during his second season in the league. And while it would be incredibly premature to put Brooks in that class yet, his progression as a pro comes as no surprise to the Rockets’ brain trust.

“Every time he started for Rafer when Rafer was out, he played well,” says Adelman of Brooks. “We knew he was going to have some ups and downs – he’s a young player who’s still learning how to figure it out, and he’s playing against some really good players in this league and it’s a tough position to play. But if he continues to be consistent night in and night out, and not have one game be way up and one game be way down, then he’ll be fine.”

As for Lowry, his heady play and attacking mentality have earned raves from the coaching staff ever since his arrival. And though his numbers (7.5 ppg and 3.5 apg in 21.25 minutes per game since joining the team) might not leap off the page, his ability is such that he’s already found himself on the floor in the fourth quarter, closing out several big games in crunch-time situations.

Those are the scenarios he, like every other fierce competitor, lives for and there’s no question both Lowry and Brooks relish the opportunity to have the ball in their hands when the game is on the line. But both players quickly dismiss the idea of this competition for playing time creating conflict, instead insisting that it merely serves as motivation to become better players.

“We both want to be playing,” says Lowry. “But if the team is winning games then you have to be happy. We’re both getting equal opportunities and we’re both playing well. So I don’t think either one of us is jealous, we’re just happy to be out there contributing to the team winning games.”

Adds Brooks: “We’ve both got confidence in each other. It’s all coach’s decision – when you’re on the court, you want to make good use of your time, and if you’re not doing your job then we’ve got somebody else to come in and do it. It just makes you more effective and makes you go out there and be on your game.

“I don’t take anything personally. If I come out of the game, I understand there’s probably something that he can do better. Honestly, I think it’s working out for the best because you have to really value your time on the court.”

Meanwhile, the complementary skill sets of Brooks and Lowry have allowed Coach Adelman to experiment with different on-court combinations, juggling his point guards based on certain matchups and who has the hot hand. It’s a rather unique situation for a playoff team with lofty aspirations but not unprecedented. The Celtics won it all last year in Rajon Rondo’s second year, while the 05-06 Mavericks (Jason Terry and Devin Harris) and 02-03 Spurs (Parker and Speedy Claxton) won big with young points in platoon situations. The common denominator: Those clubs were loaded with veteran skill and leadership – something the Rockets can boast plenty of as well.

To be sure, Houston has a great deal of work to do before earning membership into that elite group and much of its succes in that area will depend upon how its young point guard tandem handles the heat of the postseason; especially given the plethora of supremely talented points which reside in the Western Conference. But regardless of what transpires, it will all serve as a tremendous learning experience for Brooks and Lowry, and given their quick assimilation of the lessons thrown at them thus far, that can only mean big things for their, and the team’s, future.

“I think with him and Kyle we’ve had a pretty good balance between the two,” says Adelman. “If one’s struggling a little bit, the other one seems to pick it up and I like that combination. I think you have to live with their youth right now, but I think they’re both going to be very good players in this league at point guard. So we really like that duo.”

And after a somewhat skeptical initial response, it seems a safe bet to say that many of those early critics do, too.

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